NICU Cameras

amybudd · Mar 4, 2016

We don't. I thinks it's wonderful for parents but could very disruptive to your care.

wasabirush · Mar 4, 2016

We don't where I work either, sounds interesting... I've read that some units are doing FaceTime or Skype with baby/parents, which might be a better in between option? Would be curious to hear more about it.

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · Mar 5, 2016

We vetoed them as the hospital across town had them and had so many phone calls from parents asking to move the camera, why it was off, can you make sure it's on because we have company coming and they want to see, ect that it was disrupting care. They will now only use them if the baby is a transfer in so mom can see them when they get there. Some hospitals here use FaceTime for moms who can't come see baby, but they have to set times with the staff and it is time limited.

shermrn · Mar 5, 2016

I'm on the fence with this issue. Having had a child in the NICU I can see why this appeals to parents. I'm pretty sure management/administration love it as a selling point. I would love to see it installed in all daycares and schools through grade 12. When I leave my dog with a kennel or doggie day care I can go online to watch a live video feed of whats going on, shouldn't I be able to do this with my kids?

As a NICU nurse I haven't been too bothered by it, we've done it in special situations in which the mom is hospitalized and unable to visit, or the parents are not from the area and need to go back home to care for their other children or work. What does bother me is that our hospital is installing ipads at each cribside solely for purpose of video monitoring, this seems to be a very expensive approach. Another thing that bothers me is the ipads include audio which could cause some trouble. Every nurse I know, self included, speak differently in the absence of parents/visitors etc. at times. Given the sense of humor some nurses have, parents listening in could get an earful, they may also overhear protected information about other infants. There is the option of turning the volume off but that may be the least important thing you think of during a busy shift. Nice to be able to turn on the sound for parents to say hello and all, but then off it goes.

There is also the problem of parents misinterpreting what they see. In this case one would expect a parent to call and ask what's going on, but many of the parents I've met are far more likely to take a less reasonable approach.

So there's good and bad to the whole deal. If video monitoring becomes the norm, I certainly hope administration has the appropriate policies in place to deal with every possible outcome and will 100% support which ever party (nurse or parent) is in the right. I suppose this gets into the need for continuously recording the video feed from each cribside. I can see where this could also be abused/manipulated to use against someone for whatever purpose.

Will there be a need for some kind of legislation to specifically address any and all issues that could come up as a result of this monitoring? I'm not sure if any of the unions are on this or not. In the interest of full disclosure I'm not 100% a union guy for various reasons. However; I have and still do acknowledge the need for unions and am a union member. The whole video monitoring situation seems like a perfect thing for my union to be involved in.

NeoRN18 · Mar 5, 2016

We vetoed them as the hospital across town had them and had so many phone calls from parents asking to move the camera, why it was off, can you make sure it's on because we have company coming and they want to see, ect that it was disrupting care. They will now only use them if the baby is a transfer in so mom can see them when they get there. Some hospitals here use FaceTime for moms who can't come see baby, but they have to set times with the staff and it is time limited.

Yes, usually we turn it off or push it out of view for routine and emergent care. Often we get phone calls from aggravated parents asking why it is "again" not on their baby, instead of wanting updates on how their little one is doing. It can be very frustrating and disruptive.

We do have set times all parents can log in to see their baby, and that time is scheduled around routine care/feedings. But as you know, our NICU patients often require much more than routine care!

We do have parents that are so thankful for the cameras, and do not complicate the process. Some moms even have confided to us that they try to watch their little one while they pump at home, as it seems to help!